Apparatus for exhibiting moving pictures



N. POWER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-22, I917.

Patented Oct. 12,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTOR.

A TTORAIEY N. POWER. APPARATUS FOR EXHIBITING MOVING PICTURES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 22, I9I7.

Patented Oct. 12, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- IN V EN T 0R.

ATTORNEY I HHMWIH XWIW plated,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NICHOLAS POWER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 EDWIN J. HADLEY, 0F

- NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR EXHIBITING MOVING PICTURES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 12, 1920.

Application filed December 22, 1917. Serial No. 208,338,

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS POWER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Brookl n, in the county of Kings, State of New ork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Exhibiting Moving Pictures, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for exhibiting moving pictures, and more particularly to apparatus for projecting upon a screen pictures arranged in series upon a translucent film which is fed intermittently across a projection aperture in front' of a suitable source of light used for illumination of the pictures.

The invention relates to means for framing the pictures, or accurately registering the same in relation to the projection aperture. The principal object ofthe invention is to provide simply constructed and efficiently operating means for quickly and accurately framing the 'pictures so as to secure proper projection thereof.

The invention may be applied to practically any standard type of projecting machine, and as illustrating its application I have selected the type of machine forming the subject matter of Letters Patent 826,112 granted to me on July 17, 1906.

In the accompanying drawings, in which only so. much of a projecting machme is shown as is required for a clear. understanding of the present invention,

Figure 1 isa rear elevational view of a projecting machine having my improvement applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevationalviewof the framing mechanism;.and

Fi 3 is a similar view of a portion of the gearing for efiecting feeding of the film. In machines of the type herein contemthe lower feed spool for the film is intermittently actuated through the medium of a Geneva movement comprlsing what is termed a pin wheel and anordlnary Geneva stop wheel, and stated in general terms, my invention comprises means for so ad usting the pin wheel that its cooperation with the stop wheel will be varied in point of time in a manner to correct any, defect in the framing of the pictures in relation to the projection opening. The means for adjusting the pin wheel is also operatlvely connected with the shutter which controls the proection aperture, so that the movement of the shutter is synchronized with that of the film feeding mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, 10 denotes the base board having secured thereto the standards 11 which carry the apparatus. Mounted upon the standards 11 is the rear frame 12 having the projection aperture 13 formed therein. Upon the rear of the frame 12 is a screen 14: which serves'as a protection against overheating of the frame 12 about the aperture 13 and is provided 7 with an aperture 15 slightly larger than but coincident with the aperture 13.

Traversing the machine from side to side, somewhat above the projection aperture 13, is the crank shaft 16 provided with the operating handle 17 In the form of apparatus shown, there is rigidly mounted on the shaft 16, at the end opposite that carrying the handle 17 alarge worm wheel 18 which is in permanent mesh with a smaller worm wheel 19 secured to a short shaft 20 upon which the upper film-feeding sprocket wheels 21are carried. When the shaft 16 is rotated these sprockets are continuously driven, and feed the film 22 toward the projection aperture 13. The film is held in engagement with the sprockets 21 by a pair of grooved rollers 23 mounted on a short shaft 24: and connected by a sleeve 25. The shaft 24 is carried by a rocking lever 26 fulcrumed on a 'pivot'27, and this lever may be rocked to move the rollers 23 away from or against the sprockets 21.

Below the projection aperture 13 and bearing in a side wall 11 of the machine is a short shaft 28, having a key-way 29 into which extends a key (not shown) formed interiorly upon a wormsleeve 30 which is slidable upon but not rotatable about the shaft 28. The worm wheel 18 is in mesh with the worm sleeve 30. The innerend of shaft 28 is supported by a bracket 31 secured to the wall 11, and secured to the shaft 28, adjacent to the bracket, is a pin wheel comprising a disk 32, an open guide rin 33 on a lateral face of the disk, and a latera ly projecting stud 34 spaced equidistantly between the ends of the ring 33. The shaft 28 also carries the fly wheel 28*.

Bearing in the standards 11, below and parallel to the shaft 28 is a shaft 35 carrying the lower film feeding sprockets 36 connected by the sleeve 37. The upper film feeding devices including the sprockets 21 are constant in operation and serve mainly to maintain a suflicient amount of slack in the film above the guiding and tension devices (not herein'shown) by which it is held 1 n proper relation to the projection. aperture 13. The lower filmfeedingdevices, including projection aperture at suitable intervals to I permit the picture on the film to be projected upon'a screen and displayed to view while of the sprockets 36 there is secured upon the shaft 35- a Geneva stop wheel or star wheel 38 in position to be actuated by the stud 34 on the pin wheel. The Geneva wheel has four slots which are successively engaged by the,

' stud 34, and it will be obvious thatthe Gewheel.

neva wheel 38 and theshaft upon which it is rigidly secured will make one complete revolution to each four revolutions of the pin The outer end of the worm sleeve is reduced in diameter'and terminates in 'a collar 30. Engaging the reduced portion of the sleeve 30 is the forkedend 39 of a rack bar 40 which bears in a bracket 41 and has an outer threaded end upon which a worm wheel 42 is mounted.

provided to stead the rack bar 40, and a guide 44 is carried y bracket 41 to prevent side deflection of the worm wheel 42. En aging the worm wheel42 is a second worm w eel 45, fixed to a shaft 46 supported in a bearing 47 secured to the bracket 41.

The shaft 46 extends at right angles to th axis of the rack bar 40.

In mesh with the worm sleeve 30. is a worm 7 wheel 48 carried upon a shaft 49 extending at right angles to the shaft 28. Fixedto the shaft 49'is a bevel pinion 5O meshing with a miter pinion 51 fixed to one end of a shaft 54, extending'substantially at'right angles to the shaft 49, and carrying at its other end, a bevel pinion 52 meshing with a miter pinion 53 fixed to one endof a shaft'53 to which the shutter'for controlling the projection aperture 13 is secureds In the drawmg I have shown a special form of shutter, as described in my earlier patent, and which comprises two oppositely-arranged blades or wings 54 and 55 of which the former is cons'iderably wider thanthe latter. The pur- 55 pose of this construction is fully explained in Patent 826,112and need not be repeated here, it being necessary merely to point out that the shaft 53' is iven from the shaft 49 and the shutter movement is to besynchronized with thefeed of the film.

Engaging the teeth of therack bar 40 is a pinion 56 which may be rotated to move the rack bar back and forth, thus serving the same purpose as the worm wheels 42 and 45.

The operation of the device has been indi- A supplemental cated, to some extent, in the foregoing description, and following is a brief statement the gear sleeve 30 will be axially movedcausing the shaft 28 to rotate while the gears 18 and 30 remain in mesh. The pin wheel being rigid on the shaft 28, the pin or stud stationary. To secure intermittent operation 34 will be moved angularly a suitable extent so that when it cotiperates with the slots of the Geneva stop wheel- 38 the film feeding sprockets 36 will be rotated the requisite amount to accurately frame each picture of the film 22 in the projection aperture 13.

Ordinarily relatively slight ad'ustment of.

turn the worm 42 and thereby impart the requisite movement to the gear sleeve 30. Inasmuch-as the shutter operating shaft is geared to the shaft 28 it will be obvious that the shutter and film will move synchronously. f

It is not my purpose to limit the invention to the precise details shown and described, as considerable variation and modification may be effected by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the ap:

pended claims.

What I clainf asnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In apparatus for exhibiting moving devices, comprising upper and'lower sprockets and shafts upon which the ,same are mounted, means for continuously rotating the upper sprocket, means for'intermittently rotating the lower sprocket comprising a pin wheel-and a Geneva stop Wheel, a main driving gear, a gear'sleeve in engagement with: iv

said mam-driving gear, and means forsi-' multaneously 'rotatlng and moving said gear .105 pictures, the combination with film feeding 111 5 sleeve lengthwise while in-engagement with.

said main driving gear for' rotating said pin wheel to varyits relation to the slots of the Geneva stop wheel, said last named means comprising arm engagingsaad gear sleeve.

a rack bar' having p i f 2. In apparatus vfor exhibiting I moving 7-:

pictures, the combination" j of feeding sprocket, a shaft upon which the same is mounted,fa1Geneva stop "wheel on first mentioned shaft,.a pin wheel on said second shaft adaptedito co-ac't with the Geneva stop wheel, a gear sleeve on said second mentioned shaft, a main driving gear en- 12 7 said shaft, a second shaft parallel to the 3 gaging said gear sleeve, and a longitudinally movable rack bar havinga depending bifurcated arm engaging said gear sleeve for rotating and axially moving said gear sleeve to vary the relation of the pin'wheel. to the Geneva stop wheel.

3. In apparatus for exhibiting moving pictures, the combination of a lower film feeding sprocket, a shaft upon which the same is mounted, a second shaftparallel to the said'first mentioned shaft, a Geneva stop wheel upon said first mentioned shaft, a pin wheel on said second mentioned shaft in position to coact with said Geneva stop wheel,

15 a main driving'geana gearsleeve on said second mentioned shaft in mesh with said main driving gear, a rack bar having a dea pending bifurcated end adapted to engage said gear sleeve, and means for reciprocating said rack bar to move said gear sleeve back and forth on the shaft on which it is mounted, to rotate said shaft and move the pin Wheel to vary the relation of the'latter to the Geneva stop wheel.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NICHOLAS POWER.

Witnesses:

13mm MUELLER, Cmnion FRANCK. 

